Q. The Government has recently made an agreement to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to Malaysia for processing, and in return Australia will take a fixed number of refugees from Malaysia. Do you support or oppose this agreement?

16 June 11

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Total support

40%

31%

50%

25%

19%

Total oppose

39%

53%

31%

67%

60%

Strongly support

13%

6%

9%

4%

3%

Support

27%

25%

41%

21%

16%

Oppose

22%

23%

17%

24%

35%

Strongly oppose

17%

30%

14%

43%

25%

Don’t know

21%

16%

18%

9%

21%

31% support the agreement to send asylum seekers to Malaysia for processing and 53% oppose. This represents a significant increase in opposition to this scheme from that recorded 6 weeks ago – support is down 9% and opposition up 14%.

This shift is mainly due to changed opinions of Liberal/National voters. Support from Labor voters is up 3% to 50% while opposition from Liberal/National voters has increased by 22% to 67%. Opposition from Greens voters has also increased by 9% to 60%.

Q. The Government has proposed sending asylum seekers arriving by boat to Malaysia for processing and the Opposition has proposed sending asylum seekers to Nauru. Which of these two options do you favour?

Q. The Government has announced a possible agreement with Malaysia on asylum seekers. Under these agreements, asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia will be sent to Malaysia for processing, and in return Australia will take a fixed number of refugees from Malaysia. How much have you heard about this proposal?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

A lot

27%

24%

34%

27%

Something

31%

38%

29%

30%

A little

29%

28%

29%

28%

Nothing

9%

8%

6%

14%

Don’t know

3%

2%

2%

1%

58% said they had heard a lot or something about the Government’s possible agreement with Malaysia on asylum seekers. Awareness was similar across voter groups.

Q. Do you support or oppose the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to Malaysia?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Heard a lot

Heard something

Heard a little/ nothing

Total support

40%

47%

40%

27%

34%

42%

46%

Total oppose

39%

33%

45%

51%

60%

39%

28%

Strongly support

13%

13%

15%

4%

14%

11%

15%

Support

27%

34%

25%

23%

20%

31%

31%

Oppose

22%

21%

24%

31%

26%

24%

20%

Strongly oppose

17%

12%

21%

20%

34%

15%

8%

Don’t know

21%

20%

14%

23%

6%

19%

27%

40% support the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to Malaysia and 39% oppose.

Those who say they have heard more about it are more likely to oppose this proposal. Only 34% of those who have heard a lot about it support the proposal compared to 46% of those who have heard a little or nothing. There were not substantial differences by gender or age.

Q. The Government has announced two possible agreements with Malaysia and Papua New Guinea on asylum seekers. Under these agreements, asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia will be sent to either Malaysia or PNG for processing, and in return Australia will take a fixed number of refugees from Malaysia.

Do you support or oppose the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Liberal/ National

Vote Greens

Total support

40%

55%

40%

29%

Total oppose

40%

25%

49%

53%

Strongly support

11%

16%

12%

5%

Support

29%

39%

28%

24%

Oppose

20%

16%

19%

33%

Strongly oppose

20%

9%

30%

20%

Don’t know

19%

20%

12%

17%

Respondents were divided over the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia – 40% support and 40% oppose. Labor voters were more likely to support the plan (55%) while Greens voters were most likely to oppose it (53%).

Q. Do you support or oppose the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia if it means it will cost taxpayers substantially more than it would if we just processed asylum seekers on the mainland in Australia?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Liberal/ National

Vote Greens

Total support

24%

35%

23%

15%

Total oppose

60%

49%

66%

69%

Strongly support

6%

8%

6%

3%

Support

18%

27%

17%

12%

Oppose

29%

31%

25%

35%

Strongly oppose

31%

18%

41%

34%

Don’t know

16%

16%

11%

16%

Respondents were more likely to oppose the plan to send asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia to PNG and Malaysia if it means it will cost taxpayers substantially more than it would if we just processed asylum seekers on the mainland in Australia – 24% support and 60% oppose.

Labor voters showed the largest shift in opinion if increased cost to taxpayers was taken into account – their opposition increased from 25% to 49%.